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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stand — to bear
  6. face — to confront
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. court — of law
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. court — of a king
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. face — part of the head
  22. court — for sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com